Chapter Text
Perfect.
His vision turned rose-tinted.
She was perfect.
His heart started beating faster.
The way she wrote so neatly and had the courage to ask the professor questions while he lectured, it amazed him. Her long black hair looked neat and elegant in whatever way she decided to style it, looking lovely from every angle.
She locked eyes with him once, at the start of class while looking for people to partner with.
Partner with.
Maybe he could’ve been her partner in more than one way.
But, he doesn’t even know her name. It was probably something as beautiful as she-
Seungkwan smacked the side of his head roughly and went back to writing down notes. What a dummy, a creep, who in their right mind thinks about dating when they haven’t even talked?
“And don’t forget to participate in the discussion post, it’s worth a lot this week,” the professor started wrapping up class.
Seungkwan hurriedly wrote down what was on the slide with chopped up words that wouldn’t make sense later. He groaned knowing what he’d have to do later, he’d have to ask his group partners for the notes again which was a separate problem in itself.
People started filling in the seats immediately after his classmates left, as Seungkwan packed he saw a guy giving him a dirty look so he made a face back. The guy made an appalled face as if he wasn’t the one to start it in the first place. Seungkwan’s sisters might call him immature for doing that in his twenties but it’s not his fault that his face does that.
The campus was still busy at this time, noon tends to be the time when the most students are on campus but the late afternoon is when most take their classes or study. Seungkwan knows his classmates probably booked it to the library to try and find a desk to study.
They’ll chew him out for getting there later than all of them and still needing notes but that’s the way it was.
Seungkwan sighed and headed to the library, maybe they’ll ease off if he offers to bring coffee the next time. He looked around the whole library, even peeked into the meeting rooms trying to find them before looking at his phone.
They called off the study session off, they all had something they needed to do.
Seungkwan stared at the messages and groaned, not believing he wasted all that time. Taking a deep breath, he accepted that fact and sent a text asking for the notes when they have time.
Maybe he could go back to his dorm to study and nap before work?
___
Seungkwan tapped his foot impatiently, a rhythm too fast to match the song he was listening to. If only his jeans didn’t get caught on the door handle and rip on the way out of his dorm. His roommate only laughed at him, saying only something so bizarre could happen to him when he was leaving for work.
Just his luck as per usual.
Thankfully, he’s learned to leave early just in case, if he books it at the next stop he should make it in time. If he has to hear his co-worker complain one more time he’d rather gouge his own eyes out.
“Next stop is-“ the automated voice began to say but Seungkwan didn’t wait for it to finish as he rushed to the doors.
Quickly, Seungkwan checked the time on his phone, about ten minutes before he’s considered late.
The doors open and Seungkwan starts running, hoping that everything goes smoothly, praying that everything goes according to plan. He turns and flies down the stairs, nobody being there makes it easy.
Or, well, he thought nobody was there, then he crashed into something solid right at the bottom of the stairwell.
Seungkwan groaned as he fell on his ass and scraped his palms. The pain was only on his mind for a moment before looking up and seeing the reason why he’d fallen.
A man, older than him, was also on the floor. The man was soaked with water and looking down at something.
Oh.
That’s glass.
And blood.
…
Shit.
“Sir, are you okay?” Seungkwan quickly got up and went over to the man.
The man didn’t respond to him, just kept looking down at his own blood mixing with the puddle of water around him. Seungkwan mentally cursed himself and took out his phone, texting his coworker that he’ll be late.
“Sir? Sir? SIR,” Seungkwan increasingly panicked and started wondering if somehow the man had hit his head.
After waving his hand in front of the man’s face he looked up, however his gaze was distant. The man shifted and when he lifted his hand Seungkwan saw a large shard of glass stuck in his left hand.
Seungkwan widened his eyes and gasped, “We need to go to the hospital, where was the nearest one again?”
The man seemed to be rather uncaring as he stood up, like he didn’t mind or didn’t realize that his hand was injured. Seungkwan worriedly looked between the man and his phone, finally he found directions and opened the map. As he was memorizing everything, the man started walking away.
It was as though something stabbed him in the gut, seeing him walk away.
Almost immediately after getting the feeling, he grabbed the man’s shoulder to stop him.
“The hospital is this way,” Seungkwan told him.
The man turned around, looked at the hand on his shoulder and nodded, letting Seungkwan guide him. Thankfully it was a rather short distance and they managed to get there quickly despite the slight limp in his own walk.
At the hospital there was almost nobody there, a rare slow night. Seungkwan hurriedly picked up a form and began answering everything he could but...
“Do you have an ID?” Seungkwan asked him.
The man did not answer, just kept looking down with half lidded eyes and a clouded gaze. Seungkwan pursued his lips and silently asked for forgiveness before looking in the stranger’s pockets. He found a wallet and an ID easily enough.
Lee Seokmin.
Seungkwan looked at the man in the picture and the one standing in front of him. This man… this man was different, just what happened?
Slowly, he filled out the rest of the form and walked over to the front desk.
“Hello how may I help you today?” The receptionist asked with a smile.
Seungkwan’s heart bloomed, beating faster.
She has a nice smile, it made her eyes crinkle up slightly. It wasn’t a true smile, her real smile would probably look even prettier, would he be able to make her smile for real if-
“Hello?” She asked again.
Seungkwan shook his head, gave her the form and ID, then raised Lee-nim’s bloody hand. The receptionist nodded, flinching at the older’s appearance for a moment, then began tapping away on her computer.
“Someone will come help you right now, please wait for them over there,” she said and gave back the ID.
“Thank you,” Seungkwan nodded and led Lee-nim over to the waiting area.
Seungkwan put his ID back into his wallet and returned it to its proper place muttering a sorry to the older. He should probably leave now, the hospital should be able to take care of him now that everything is filled out.
As he took a step to leave, that horrible feeling came back tenfold, the feeling in his gut sharp and traveling to the back of his head.
Like if he left his skull would split open and his brain would be set on fire.
So he decided to stay.
Not a moment after that decision a doctor came to help, Seungkwan thought he’d mostly be observing when the doctor started asking him questions.
He answered them easily enough as the glass was removed, simple things like ‘How long ago did this happen’ ‘Where did it happen’ and ‘Why’. After answering the why Seungkwan fiddled with his hands and winced, forgetting about the scrapes.
“You young people need to be more careful, what if this gentleman has a family at home, what will they say when he comes back injured. Just look at him, he’s all wet and could even get a cold,” the doctor scolded and gestured to the ring on Lee-nim’s finger.
Seungkwan bowed his head and said, “Sorry.”
The doctor huffed and handed him some alcohol wipes, “You should clean your hands with these so the cuts don’t get infected.”
“Thank you,” Seungkwan mumbled and gratefully took the wipes.
It stung a bit but Lee-nim’s injury looked worse by far, just looking at it made guilt gather in his throat like a lump. Lee-nim was quiet but mostly complied with the doctor to make sure nothing else happened to him, everything else was okay by some miracle.
“I say he’s okay for discharge now, go to the front desk to settle things,” the doctor said, cleaning the area up and taking off his gloves, “Don’t go charging around again young man.”
Seungkwan bowed his head again as the doctor handed him a paper and let him lead Lee-nim back out front. The waiting room was now more full than it was when they initially came in, they both waited in line to see the woman at the desk, different from the one earlier. Seungkwan looked at Lee-nim while they moved, the man still hadn’t said anything, didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t move without being prompted either.
A husk of a man.
“Next!” The desk woman called.
Seungkwan looked up and realized they were next, with one hand he gently guided the older forward and with the other handed over the paper. The woman sighed and typed in multiple things. She said some things to Lee-nim initially then directed her attention to Seungkwan after his unresponsiveness.
“Make sure you change the bandage daily-“
“Wait”
“-or in the case it bleeds through or gets soaked in water.”
“Hold on…”
“If you don’t know how to change bandages read this section.”
“I’m not…”
“Besides that you should be all good to go once you pay.”
Seungkwan gave up on trying to tell her anything and cringed at seeing the hospital bill, for a college student it was no amount to scoff at. He opened his mouth and closed it several times, not really knowing what to do.
Guess it was just his luck.
Seungkwan sighed and fumbled, grabbing his wallet then a hand stopped him. Seungkwan jumped a little as Lee-nim put his bandaged hand over his hands. All he could do was freeze and watch as the older handed over a card. The desk lady also looked slightly unnerved as she took it to do what she needed.
The man did not blink or look at either of them while she processed things.
“Everything went through,” She started saying then trailed off with a small, “Hope you feel better.”
Seungkwan bowed his head as Lee-nim got his card back and put it away. Seungkwan hesitantly led him through the white halls, waiting for him to start moving on his own again or at the very least say anything but there was not even a peep.
Outside the hospital doors Seungkwan looked at his phone. Nobody in his group had sent the notes yet, which means they either gave up on him or they were just that busy, still meant he was screwed for the discussion post though. More concerningly, his coworker had sent a couple of texts of them begrudgingly staying, it was almost thirty minutes past time.
“Uh, I’ll get going then, here’s the instructions,” Seungkwan folded the paper and held it to him, “Sorry about everything.”
For a moment Seungkwan worried that he wasn’t going to move but he did. His arm moved up robotically, took the paper, and fell back down. The older man turned by shifting one foot slowly and barely lifting the other. He started walking at a snail’s pace, almost like a zombie, to who knows where.
Seungkwan nodded and turned to run in the opposite direction, he did start running.
But.
That awful gut feeling started again.
By now he knew what it meant, and skid to a stop, almost slipping in a puddle. Seungkwan dashed back to the man, Lee-nim, who was now at the corner.
The man just kept looking forward as he walked off the sidewalk into the street, not even pressing or waiting for the crosswalk sign. Seungkwan ran faster, the pain in the back of his head pulsating as he realized why.
It hurt.
It hurt to see another person hurt.
To see another person hurting alone.
Seungkwan reached him, his lungs burning with the cool night air and his eyes stinging with salty tears. He grabbed his arm and pulled him back to safety just in time, a car came hurtling by not a moment later.
Lee-nim looked at him, his eyes still in that half-lidded daze. Seungkwan clutched his arm tightly as he caught his breath.
“I’m taking you with me,” Seungkwan wheezed and sucked in another breath, “If you got a problem with that then you should have thought twice before walking into traffic.”
Lee-nim still didn’t talk even as Seungkwan led him down the winding city streets, one hand on his back and another gripping his sleeve.
In front of the little bookstore Seungkwan said, “Here’s where I work, and I’m very late.”
Seungkwan opened and held the door open as he guided the man into the shop. Immediately upon entering his coworker rushed up to him.
“Seungkwan-ah! It’s almost an hour after you should have started, I don’t know what came up but you owe me big time! You think I get paid for that extra hour? No!” they yelled.
Seungkwan kept his head down as they continued, he couldn’t say anything, all of that anger was justified. It took another few minutes for them to cool down.
“Owner’s out today so I clocked you in on time, just take your stupid place behind the counter,” they spat and left without another word, not even regarding the man he came in with.
Seungkwan bowed until they left and lingered in that position for an extra minute before straightening out. Lee-nim was still looking at him, it made something in his chest sting.
“You can sit down over here, there’s plenty of books so maybe you can find something you like,” Seungkwan tried to keep it together.
Lee-nim stared at him a little before nodding and heading to where he directed. Seungkwan was thankful for that at least. He sat down in an area in the middle of the shop next to a computer and register.
It was cramped.
Most nights he hated it, needing to stretch and put his legs on the counter to get comfortable, but tonight it was comforting. The small space felt like he could hide away in it.
Despite everything, Seungkwan tried to make it look like a normal night, he picked up a book and started reading while listening to music. This night he only kept one earbud in and the music was quieter than he likes, he couldn’t help but keep glancing over at Lee-nim.
The man looked so bizarre and out of place, like in a sea of moving people he alone was standing still. His hair and splotches on his clothes were still damp if not wet. He didn’t read or go on his phone, if the man even has a phone is a mystery.
As the night went on and shifted into morning, Seungkwan sighed out of boredom, there was nobody except for the two of them. He looked over at the older man and grabbed a book.
Seungkwan walked over to him and handed him the object.
“This one is a good story, I promise you won’t regret reading it,” Seungkwan said quickly then returned to his post.
With anticipation, he watched out of the corner of his eye to see if he would read it. After the first ten minutes of waiting Seungkwan let out a small huff of disappointment and went back to reading his own book, it wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst.
A small chime let him know that it was almost closing time, he thought about how the shift passed faster than usual before reminding himself of the hour he lost. Seungkwan stretched out and got up from the small chair before pausing, Lee-nim was staring at the back of the book, perhaps even reading it.
As much as he hated it, he called out and said, “I’m closing now.”
It broke the focus the older had as he looked up. Seungkwan went about his duties, closing the windows, making sure everything was neat. Not too many people come by in general so everything was already pretty clean.
When he came back around to Lee-nim, Seungkwan saw that he had already moved and put away the book.
“I’ll take you home,” Seungkwan muttered while clocking out, “Still don’t trust you to get home safely.”
Seungkwan remembered his address generally, even knew the way somewhat, it was one of the apartment complex’s he was looking at. It was in a nice area and had lots of room but it’d be years until he even gets close to having the budget for it.
The walk there was not too memorable, just another trek at an ungodly time, only difference being he now held another person’s arm. Seungkwan considered letting him go the rest of the way multiple times but that bad feeling returned every time.
It returned every time right up until they faced an apartment door.
“This time really is goodbye. Ah, I hope I didn’t make your family too anxious Lee-nim, that and I hope you don’t have work later,” Seungkwan joked.
Lee-nim opened his door with a click and stepped inside rather unceremoniously. Seungkwan fought the frown trying to make its way onto his face and turned to leave.
“Seokmin. Call me Seokmin.”